SPY REPORT: Inside Scion's big Miami Beach product reveal
This weekend, Scion flew 328 owners to Miami Beach, which served as the backdrop for an invitation-only reveal of the replacement for the xA and the brand-new xB. The event happened Friday night at the Miami Beach Convention Center (if you go to the CC's website, you'll see that 12/15 was booked for a "private event"), and we're fortunate enough to bring you a full report on the goings-on from an attendee.
Sorry folks, there are no pictures to show you, as cameras and phones were strictly prohibited, but our spy gave us very detailed descriptions of the cars that were revealed. Want to know more? Follow the jump for the skinny.
As we said, the venue was the Miami Beach Convention Center, and the event was presided over by Mark Templin, vice president of Scion. The room was loaded with highly-modified existing Scions, the FUSE concept that made its debut at the New York Auto Show back in April, and a pair of cars that were hidden under covers. Guests were treated to an open bar and plenty of free food prior to the big show.
Shortly thereafter, Templin kicked off the event by introducing actor Rainn Wilson of The Office, who spoke briefly and presented awards to some of the invited guests. From there, Templin ushered everyone to the area where the covered vehicles were for the evening's main event.
Scion xD
The Scion xA is no more. Templin's first reveal was its replacement, dubbed xD. Like it's predecessor, it is a four-door with a vertically opening rear hatch. The C-pillar on the car shown was said to be around a foot-and-a-half wide, with no windows on the sides of the cargo area. Our spy says that the xD is definitely larger than the xA, and has a profile reminiscent of Toyota's Matrix, and that the rear end was evocative of the Mazda3.
The xD's hood stretched down over the vehicle's front end a bit, and sported conventional headlights. The car's fog lights, were deceiving, however. At first glance, they simply look like plain covers where the fogs would normally reside, but a closer look revealed a cluster of around fifteen 5mm LEDs. The fogs were never illuminated during the reveal.
Inside, drivers get a floor-mounted shifter, and cup holders are built into all four doors. The show car was lowered and wore a body kit designed by Five Axis (creators of the 2005 xA Speedster concept). The lowering springs and body kit will be available through Scion. The car was painted bright red, and some interior panels were color-matched, but it's unknown whether or not that's standard. Templin made no announcements regarding a release date or pricing, and our spy believed that the xD may still need a little work, as an uneven hood gap was spotted on the car shown.
Our spy also specifically noted that the xD is not a copy of the Auris, which some people had apparently expected.
Scion xB
Unlike its stablemate, the xB keeps its name, and despite a softening of its overall look, it's said to be unmistakably an xB. It's body configuration is unchanged, but it is larger in every dimension. Like the xD, the rear glass and c/d pillar are replaced by a wide C-pillar that obscures the car's cargo area. Those rear windows housed an embedded antenna in the old xB, and their absence necessitates the installation of a stubby roof-mounted unit at the rear of the car. Staying at the back end of the car for a moment, our source reports that there's a single backup light in the rear bumper on the driver's side.
In front, the car's upright windshield angle closely matches that of the current model, and the new xB also gets a downward-wrapping hood, similar in description to the one featured on the aforementioned xD. The headlamps on the displayed car were projectors. Another new styling element is a ridge that begins at the hood and extends along the sides of the car below the windows. The side glass tapers upward as it stretches further back, and the beltline rises accordingly.
The xB on display was also dressed in a body kit by Five Axis, and it was finished in a yellow/orange pearl. Inside, it receives a console-mounted shifter similar to the one found in Honda's Element. That console, incidentally, is said to be quite large and illustrative of the xB's overall growth in size. The gauge cluster is once again center-mounted, but it is reportedly better-integrated and appeared to contain more instrumentation than the current car. Like the xD, the xB features cup holders built into its four doors. The plastic textures on the door panels were described as being somewhat classier and shiny-looking (this applied to xD as well).
The xB sported a dual exhaust, which was believed to be part of an available exhaust upgrade (our source caught Templin mentioning something to that effect). Both the xD and xB were equipped with 18" aftermarket wheels, and the cars were presented on rotating displays, with the xB's standing a foot higher than the xD's.
Based on our spy's description, it sounds as if many of the basic styling cues introduced on the t2B concept (shown below) are in place. Time will tell, as we fully expect to see these cars make their public debut during the '07 auto show circuit.
Engines
There's a bit of mystery surrounding the powerplants for the two new Scions. Our spy stated that at the beginning of the presentation, a model opened the hoods of the cars, exposing a plastic engine cover that looked very much like the one fitted over the tC's 2.4L. While the hoods were up, decals on the engine covers read "2ZR-FE." After a couple of minutes, our source said that a male staffer hurriedly closed the hoods on both cars. During his presentation, Templin announced that a supercharger will be available.
And that, friends, sums it up. After the presentation, guests were treated to an hour-long live performance by Ludacris, and were shuttled off to a nightclub for a post-event party. We'll keep our ears to the ground for more news, as we're sure gossip was flying during the Hot Import Nights staged at the Convention Center yesterday.
Scion t2B Concept (for styling reference)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sammy B 11:05AM (12/17/2006)
I want one with the TC engine. If they can make these handle on par with or better than the TC, they will have a huge hit on their hands. Give me my matrix alternative in blue, supercharged, and with a stiff suspension as a factory option.
And unlike everyone else on these forums, I am actually in the market right now and will actually end up test driving one of these in the spring.
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Tool 11:10AM (12/17/2006)
If I was a competitor to Scion, I would be quaking in my boots. 1st gen Toyota vehicles are replaced by much MUCH vehicles. Think ES250 > ES300, T-100 > Tundra, etc and you get the idea.
The xA and xB were warmed-over JDM vehicles. These replacements will be squarely aimed at the American youth consumer and will most likely be out of this world terrific for what they are: well-built, cheap, high-function, high-style.
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starlightmica 11:21AM (12/17/2006)
Hmm. Toyota's press release about the 2ZR-FE:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/06/0613.html
I'll be in the market for small car in about a couple of years. Looking forwards to seeing the new Scions, especially the xD, and I'm glad they won't be using the less efficient 2.4cyl engine.
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cdc 11:24AM (12/17/2006)
"Our spy says that the xD is definitely larger than the xA, and has a profile reminiscent of Toyota's Matrix, and that the rear end was evocative of the Mazda3."
The xA already has a profile view reminiscent of the Matrix, the cars are almost identical in design, one's just squished together more like the Echo.
I really hope the new xB doesn't look to similar to the current model, that'll make it old real quick and I'm betting it'll die down. If it is closer to the t2B in styling, I can see a winner coming around, hopefully it loses some edges and gains some curves. The lucky Japanese saw there bB gain curves yet still retain the entire feel of the car, too bad we didn't get that car, but who knows, maybe ours will be just as nice.
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Juan 11:46AM (12/17/2006)
I'm glad that the 2ZR turns out to be a new 1.8 with a more evenly matched bore & stroke. The 2.4L in the tC was underwhelming, I hope it gets a redesign next.
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Carl 11:46AM (12/17/2006)
Hmmm.
I predict aging baby boomers will be the people who buy these things once again.
That's how it's like in Britain to a much larger degree (with the Honda Element).
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M. 11:53AM (12/17/2006)
Scions are nice Toyotas. They'd be cool over here in Europe as well. I like "boxes": they offer lots of space and as long as you do not go faster than 80mph the consumption is OK. Of course Toyota would have to offer small diesels for Europe.
Another Toyota that would be cool to have is the Avanza. It is a very compact (4.13m) "MPV" with up to seven seats on a RWD platform. It is sold in South Africa with the 1.5l VVTi. Bring it to Germany and I'll buy it.
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Julie Johnson 11:54AM (12/17/2006)
Yummy yummy Scions! Can't wait to see 'em on the road. And I'm sure no baby boomer.
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Bob 12:21PM (12/17/2006)
This 25 year old wants a new xB bad. And if the engine is a new 1.8L, that's perfect. But they better not keep the huge rear pillars. I want visibility, con sarn it.
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Petey 12:51PM (12/17/2006)
Remember that they are only bringing 150k Scion units over, total. Its like the PS3 or Wii, you'll have to camp out at your Scion dealer for one.
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Brent 1:43PM (12/17/2006)
Damnit... I really wish I was one of the chosen for that event... friend got to go. :(
I CANNOT WAIT to see what the final product looks like. If I like it as much as I do from just hearing these things, I'll seriously have to consider trading in my baby Thunder Cloud Metallic 05 xB.
Why can't I be rich and have both? lol
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Mike 2:00PM (12/17/2006)
#10 get real.
Toyota Scions will ALWAYS be easy to get. They're cutting production back a little bit because they're expecting fewer sales as the newness factor dies down with kids. The numbers only differ by a few thousand from this year - think that's a coincidence?
The Toyota execs aren't stupid. Folks who look at a "limited edition" Toyota badge and believe it are.
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Robert S. Miller 10:34AM (12/18/2006)
The next Scion xB is going to be a rebadged version of the Toyota bB (sold currently in Japan). The xB was a rebaged version of the Japanese bB, and they have been selling the new one there since 2005. It will looks like this...
http://www.online-toyota.ru/images/bb.jpg
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Steve N 2:27PM (12/17/2006)
The new "Toyota bB" has been out in Japan for a while now. Saw one in person last week, and it looks pretty good. I'm guessing the US version isn't going to be much different like last time:
http://toyota.jp/bb/exterior/bodycolor/index.html
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Brent 2:38PM (12/17/2006)
WE AREN'T GETTING THE JAP MODEL! Totally different... it's been all but confirmed. Why would they want to keep this even so tightly-secured to show a car already well-released in Japan? It's all-new stuff.
And Mike, uhhh, read up. They're cutting back to keep it unique.
http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=148231
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RJ 2:44PM (12/17/2006)
#13 You couldn't be more wrong....
Scion has stated over and over that this new xB would not be the bB currently available in Japan. Although the last generation xB was very closely based on the JDM vehicle, this time around Scion(Toyota) is developing something different geared more directly towards the US market.
Every time Autoblog or some other blog comes out with info regarding the new xB, at least one or two feel the need to blab that the new bB has been out for a little while now. blah blah blah.
Get informed.
Also, I seriously doubt there will be any shortage of Scions in the future even though they've stated they're limiting production to 150k units.
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Rob 2:46PM (12/17/2006)
OMG!!!! CHECK OUT THAT TOTALLY UNINSPIRING DESIGN. SO GREAT. I LOVE BLAND PRODUCTS.
THANKS JAPAN!
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Bob 3:14PM (12/17/2006)
HAY ROB!!!!
SHUT UP LOL
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the dude 4:46PM (12/17/2006)
ghaddamit. i was actually supposed to go to this. (insert more bitching here)
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George Krpan 6:45PM (12/17/2006)
I hope Scion has not gone backward on the xB design. If it looks like the t2B that would be a good thing. There are already enough "normal" designs on the market. It needs cars that push the limit. To me the Matrix is a snore, designed to go out of style. The old xB may be replaced by a new one but the old one will always be cool. Sort of like the first generation VW bus. Newer versions came out but the old ones stayed cool. These days the older ones are the ones the collectors go after. The newer ones don't have anywhere near the following even though as automobiles they were superior.
If the engine grows in the new xB I hope it gets at least the same mileage as the present one. It would be a retrograde for it to get worse mileage in these days of an unsecure oil supply and global warming.
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